Welcome to my scriptorium, I've created for displaying my projects for discussion and constructive feedback. If you enjoy viewing my post please enter your email on the rightside of this blog and you will be notified by email that I have posted another completed piece. I post no more than once per month so you won't get excessive emails from me.

Calligraphy

An amazing way to preserve thought throughout time and communicate today's issues for all to see tomorrow. What you write today may be studied 1,000 years from now for not only its content but how you communicated it.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

I took inspiration from Celtic designs for this piece. Used sepia ink for the lettering and a size 3 nib for the Uncial handlettering. The letter "B" I created from a design you can find in "Designs from the Book of Kells" which is altered to work in the piece. Her books are very useful as she has a couple books I have learned from. The boarder was inspired by multiple designs I found using "55 Classic Celtic Boarders" There are many good Celtic books to learn from about this and a search on amazon.com will show you many.

If you interested in calligraphy, my supplies and instructional books come from John Neal Books as you won't be able to get your techinal tools from places like hobby lobby.

Please visit this professional calligraphers webiste Hollymonroe.com. She is an active leader of the Cincinnati calligraphy guild and has many products that are far better then what you find in any mainstream store with comparable prices.

Consider supporting your local calligrapher and artist in your hometown. You may be suprised at what you can get.

Friday, October 14, 2011

A Gothic themed manuscript; this was my first attempt at a piece that was 11" x 14". Turns out the matt frames aren't framed for 11"x 14" the actual working area is 10 1/2 " x 13 1/2". The hand lettering was completed with a size 3 nib and H Graham gouache. Drew the white lines using a Haff Ruling Pen by taking a small amount of white gouache and watering it down to get a just the right consistency. I found using a ruling pen had more control than a paint brush and it kept the line thickness more consistent for the white lines.

Friday, September 16, 2011

A birthday card, completed with Gothic theme, hand lettering is Secretary. The photo's were taken outside so it's hard to see the ink is a sepia coloring. I've used both modern and historical letters for the hand lettering for legibility purposes.

Secretary hand lettering spanned from the 13th to the 17th century. It was designed for faster writing and may seem cursive. It has it's own appeal making it distinct from other hand lettering's of the period. Examples of some other hand lettering's of the period are; Gothic Quadrata, Franktur or Batarde.

Follow these links to see actual manuscripts of Secretary hand lettering;

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Click on the photo's to zoom in and see the detail all work is done by hand.

This piece was completed on parchament white paper, main body hand letter was done with a 3 1/2 nib and the larger title was size 1 nib. In this piece I used a light gold gouche and the rest of the gouches are still student quality Reeves.

Beneventan hand lettering was mainly used from the 8th to 13th centry and was prevalent in southern Italy and centered on the Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino, more informtion can be found at wikipedia; Beneventan script. For capital letters I chose Lombardic Versals to emphasize their imporatance, these letters date from the early gothic period to the renaissance period.

Follow this link to see an actual manauscript dated 1050-1099 from the digital scriptorium showing the Beneventan script,.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

This was completed on natural white parchment, with a 2.0 nib, drawings are done free hand, the versals are traced, the painted portions are done with student quality gouache, it's 5/8th's ribbon with a jade wax seal.

The hand lettering is a Uncial base with a few letter modifications found over time.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Completed using Canson natrual parchment, freehanded celtic letters, water colors, water blending medium(windsor newton) to slow the drying time of the water colors, uncial hand lettering, versals with gold ink and a lot of patience.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

A simple thank you card incorporating decorated lettering. The hand lettering is uncial/half uncial, 2.0MM nib. Free handed the drawing and painted in, the tale is down with gold copper plate. Added sealing wax with a stamp design for a personalized touch.

About Me

I enjoy my spending time with my wife, daughter, studying the Bible and mainly outdoor activities. If there is a specific request please email or call me and work out the details with you. If it's something small I'll list it on fiverr.com